An Illustrated History of Ireland from AD 400 to 1800 eBook

[375] Ordnance.—­In 1489 six hand-guns
or musquets were sent from Germany to the Earl of
Kildare, which his guard bore while on sentry at Thomas
Court, his Dublin residence. The word “Pale”
came to be applied to that part of Ireland occupied
by the English, in consequence of one of the enactments
of Poyning’s Parliament, which required all the
colonists to “pale” in or enclose that
portion of the country possessed by the English.

[376] Butts.—­We give an illustration,
at the head of this chapter, of the Butts’ Cross,
Kilkenny.

[377] War-cries.—­That of the Geraldines
of Kildare was Cromadh-abu, from Croom Castle,
in Limerick; the war-cry of the Desmond Geraldines
was Seanaid-abu, from Shannid Castle.

[378] Expensive.—­English writers
accuse Henry of miserable avariciousness. He
is accused of having consented to the execution of
Sir William Stanley, who had saved his life, for the
sake of his enormous wealth.—­Lingard’s
History of England, vol. v. p. 308. He
is also accused, by a recent writer, of having seized
the Wealth of the Queen Dowager, because he chose
to believe that she had assisted Simnel.—­Victoria
History of England, p. 223.

[379] Ireland.—­On one occasion,
when the Earl and Sir James Ormonde had a quarrel,
the latter retired into the chapter-house of St. Patrick’s
Cathedral, the door of which he closed and barricaded.
The Earl requested him to come forth, and pledged
his honour for his safety. As the knight still
feared treachery, a hole was cut in the door, through
which Kildare passed his hand; and after this exploit,
Ormonde came out, and they embraced each other.

CHAPTER XXIV.

The Reign of Henry VIII.—­The Three Eras
in Irish History: Military Violence, Legal Iniquity,
and Religious Oppression—­The Earl of Kildare—­Report
on the State of Ireland—­The Insurrection
of Silken Thomas—­His Execution with his
five Uncles—­First Attempt to introduce
the Reformation in Ireland—­Real Cause of
the English Schism—­The King acts as Head
of the Church—­The New Religion enacted by
Law, and enforced by the Sword—­How the
Act was opposed by the Clergy, and how the Clergy
were disposed of—­Dr. Browne’s Letter
to Henry—­The Era of Religious Persecution—­Massacre
of a Prelate, Priest, and Friars—­Wholesale
Plunder of Religious Property.

[A.D. 1509-1540.]

We have now approached one of the most important standpoints
in Irish history. An English writer has divided
its annals into three eras, which he characterizes
thus: first, the era of military violence; second,
the era of legal iniquity; third, the era of religious
persecution.[380] We may mark out roughly certain
lines which divide these periods, but unhappily the
miseries of the two former blended eventually with
the yet more cruel wrongs of the latter. Still,
until the reign of Henry VIII., the element of religious
contention did not exist; and its importance as an
increased source of discord, may be easily estimated
by a careful consideration of its subsequent effects.
Nevertheless, I believe that Irish history has not
been fairly represented by a considerable number of
writers, who are pleased to attribute all the sufferings
and wrongs endured by the people of that country to
religious grounds.